NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 9, 2001

Larry Robinson

COACH ROBINSON: No. I thought we competed better than we did in Game 6, but the thing that inevitably beat us was the sailing thing that we have been guilty the whole series taking stupid penalties. Needless penalties, and you are playing against a great team and you are punching guys in the face for no reason, I mean, this is the 7th game of the Finals. If you can't suck it up for the 7th game of the Finals, then you got problems.

COACH ROBINSON: No, no, no, all that aside, I am very, very proud of this team. We came through a lot of adversity over the year. A lot of guys had tremendous years. The team had a tremendous year. I mean, how much farther can you go? So no I am very, very proud of those guys, but I am hoping maybe that we can learn from these mistakes that we made and start next year with the one thing in mind. We got to learn how to play disciplined hockey. Disciplined hockey wins championships. That's one of the reasons why Colorado was able to beat us. We spent more time in the penalty box and that just -- that basically give them the momentum.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, those aren't -- well only thing consistently that we did all through all the Playoff series except for you know, the last few games against Toronto was that we got more disciplined. But if there was one thing that I can pick out of this year as opposed to last year, last year we took the elbows and we took the high sticks and all of those things this year we didn't.

COACH ROBINSON: I wish I knew because we -- every night, every night we put on the Board discipline, we can't take bad penalties, can't take bad penalties. You shouldn't have to bench people in a Playoffs because of undisciplined play. This is what we play for all year and it is just things that you got to learn. Whether you are a young player, old player, whatever, winning isn't just something that comes along. You have to learn, you have to learn how to win as well. You have got to learn what it takes. I don't think they forget. I -- I don't think they forget. They just take it upon themselves maybe. They are not playing well over something that they did or they are mad because they maybe they think they shouldn't be hit or, you know, and as is inevitable good calls or bad calls everybody reacts differently. We were getting bad calls against us and we were reacting to them. Last year we just take that as part of the game.

COACH ROBINSON: I don't think so, I think naturally they had the crowd and adrenaline and everything going, but you know, after every shift you know, they are all bent over and suggesting for air. The advantage that they got and you got to give Bob a lot of credit, the way he was able to manipulate his lines and stall in between every whistle, and was allowed to get away with it, give him credit. He monopolized, it was like he had a timeout every shift and that's how he was able to keep that momentum.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, no, not really. I felt very confident going into this game, very, very confident. We made a couple of bad changes, a few bad decisions and then took some stupid penalties and instead of you know, coming -- came out of the first period 1-0 then right away we take a dumb penalty and it is 2-0 and you are fighting to get back all game. You are not able to role your four lines because you have got get goals and that was our biggest nemesis.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think our inability to get to the net. We didn't have the guys paying the price to go to the front of the net. We were a little bit too much on the perimeter. More so in Game 6 than tonight. Tonight he made a couple of big saves for them, but the difference was is that they got the puck in deep on us and hit us down low and we didn't have enough guys fighting through checks to get down and do the mucking that was needed.

COACH ROBINSON: Not so much the Stevens's one, but I just thought it got us out of our rhythm because with him having the last change even if we got Bobby out of there was a quick whistle then changed then we would have to change and it was -- we weren't getting any momentum. There wasn't any flow to the game. I felt that because they travelled the other night and got in late and with the game so close together if we could keep the pace up and dictate the game physically and work on them that if we could -- especially early get through the first period, by the second and the third period I thought maybe our team could take over. But we never got that far because they got that first quick goal and then then the powerplay goal.

COACH ROBINSON: I am not going to say that. I think they are very deserving of it. They worked tremendously hard. Are they a better team than we are? I don't think so. I think they worked a little harder and worked a little smarter.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I didn't say too much. All I told them was to keep their heads up that they had a terrific year. This is a time for them to beat it themselves. I don't think they want to hear some coach telling them it is all right. It's not all right. They feel horrible. They are very disappointed but I thought the two kids played tremendous, both Elias and Sykora they did a master full job. They were two better players.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, it's most disappointing. The most disappointing for me was not tonight because I thought we played hard and just kind of shot ourselves in the foot. For me the disappointment was Game 6 at home, to come up with that kind of an effort, when you are in that kind of a position, it was very, very disappointing.

COACH ROBINSON: No, that's between Ray and I.

COACH ROBINSON: Everybody was you know, talking about them and certainly they did, well, I mean, the goal that Foote got was a huge goal in Game 6. But you know, all three of them played a lot of minutes and played great. But you know, I think Klemm, Skoula, and the other defensemen de Vries, I think they did their job as well. De Vries scored a big goal for them. But their forwards did a terrific job. Even if you got around their defense, you had Podein going down to block shots and they backchecked extremely hard. They collapsed around the net and didn't give us second and third rebounds, or give us the second shots. They sacrificed their bodies to block shots out there. When they were given a shot they didn't retaliate. That's what it is all about. That is what winning is all about.